


Look a Bit Beyond

by SatyrSyd37



Series: In an Imperfect World [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ficlet, Haikyuu!! AU, M/M, One Shot, Spoilers for Haikyuu Episode 24, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 17:17:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3904459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatyrSyd37/pseuds/SatyrSyd37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Kaneki's fault. It's all his fault. How's he suppose to face Hide after failing the team?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look a Bit Beyond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gill_atinousmush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gill_atinousmush/gifts).



> For G - HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY YOU FUCKING ROCK AND I LOVE YOU - here, have another plate of pain (it's a much smaller portion tho) :)
> 
> SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 24 OF HAIKYUU!!!
> 
> This is literally the scene after the final game, but with a sad ghoul and his best friend instead of volleyball nerds. Plus I took a little liberty with the conversation to make it a bit more interesting. My take on how the scene would have happened had there been a character swap.
> 
> Heavily inspired by [these](http://satyrsyd37.tumblr.com/post/118171760204/unravel-you-petition-to-take-kaneki-and-hide) [posts](http://satyrsyd37.tumblr.com/post/115246406889/mako-no-haru-i-saw-this-post-and-was-like-if) on tumblr

* * *

_Don’t let regret be the noose_  
_That kills your second chance_  
_Look a bit beyond the loop_  
_At future’s vast expanse_

~me, myself, and I

* * *

Drip drip drip.

Kankei feels someone else’s presence and turns around.

It’s Hide.

His smile is strained. Sweat drips off his brow and down his cheek, like a tear. His sunshine has been dulled – his eyes don’t shine with their normal brightness. Something in Kaneki’s heart clenches.

 

_“Chance ball!”_

_The opportunity came for the perfect toss. Kaneki analyzed the situation, noting Hide’s position – there was only one maneuver he could trust in at a desperate time like this.  Kaneki tossed Hide a god-like quick._

_As soon as Hide’s feet left the ground Kaneki knew what would happen. A looming wall rose up from behind the net when Hide’s hand hit the ball. Time seemed to slow as the ball rebounded off the immovable wall of Sejioh players’ limbs._

_Kaneki dived for the ball, stretching his arm out as far as he could reach._

Smack!

_The ball hit the ground an instant before his hand could receive it. It bounced once, twice, thrice, before rolling away and coming to a final stop at the other end of the court._

_It took a moment before it hit him._ We lost.

 _The sounds of Seijoh’s cheers rang in his ears. In a trance, he brought himself to his feet, thanked the other team for the match and lined up to shake hands with them. All the while, he couldn’t bring himself to look up at his other teammates._ We lost.

_Kankei was furious with himself. He knew Oikawa read him like an open book in those last few seconds of the game. It was his fault they lost._

_“Come on, Karasuno! Let’s clear out! The next team’s warming up!” Coach Ukai called. He walked out of the gym with his teammates like a zombie, shuffling dejectedly, with his eyes still glued on the ground to hide the tears threatening to spill from them._

_We lost._

  

Drip drip.

Kaneki turns off the water from the outside sink and dries his hands on his shorts.

“The meeting’s starting,” Hide says quietly. He’s standing awkwardly with his hands clenched in front of the 10 on his jersey, unable to look him in the eye.

A wave of guilt crashes over him, and in a spur of the moment reaction, Kaneki grabs Hide’s hands. They’re bigger than his, firmer and steadier. Kaneki’s lip trembles as he says, “I’m sorry. It’s m-my fault, I should have trained harder. I couldn’t keep up with you, and – and the setter is suppose to be the brain of the team, but I w-wasn’t smart enough…I let everyone down and I’m sorry.”

Hide looks at him for a moment, his shining brown eyes opened wide in disbelief Ashamed, Kaneki’s gaze turn towards the ground. “I made a bad call at the end. I shouldn’t have tossed to you – ”

Hide launches himself at Kaneki, yanking his collar up. He yells, “Don’t tell me that tossing to me was a mistake!”

Kaneki stares at Hide in shock. This close up, he can see the tears in Hide’s eyes. He can see the anger and the frustration and the disappointment hidden behind them, too. It makes Kaneki feel even worse than before.

They had been _so close_. _So close_ to winning, they could feel the taste of victory on their tongues. But it was taken away from them before they could get a proper bite. Because Kaneki had messed up. And now Hide, still holding tightly onto Kaneki’s collar, was about to cry. And Kaneki can’t stand to know it’s his fault. “I – I’m sorry. I let you down, Hide, and I know how much you wanted this - _uff!”_

Hide lets go of Kaneki’s collar wraps his arms around him, enveloping him in a tight hug. Kaneki is too startled to move as Hide’s arms clench protectively around him. But after the initial surprise wares off, Kaneki relaxes into Hide’s grip, wrapping his own arms around Hide’s waist and leaning his head onto Hide’s shoulder. It’s a little gross since they’re both sticky with sweat, but Hide’s body is warm and strong and comforting. He can feel Hide’s tears drip onto his forehead, causing to watery tears gathered in his own eyes to finally fall.

“It’s n-not your fault,” Hide stammers. “It’s not any of our faults. We j-just weren’t strong enough.”

Kaneki breathes a sigh of relief. How was it that Hide always knew what he needed to hear? He lets Hide pull him in tighter and burrows deeper into his shoulder.

“Kaneki…” Hide whispers as Kaneki nuzzles into him.

The words are out of Kaneki’s mouth before he knows what he’s saying. “I-I was afraid that if we lost, you would leave. That you wouldn’t be with me anymore.”

Hide breaks off their hug, but keeps a comforting hand on his shoulder. His face shows the utmost concern as he says, “Kaneki! Is that…did you really think that? That if we lost a match, I’d leave?”

Kaneki doesn’t say anything.

“We’re best friends, Kaneki. We may have started as rivals, but…I don’t think we need to be rivals anymore. It’s true, I wanted to win. But that was so I could play by your side for even longer!”

Memories from middle school – of an empty court behind him – come to the forefront of his mind. No one had ever said that to him before. Kaneki wouldn’t have believed Hide if not for Hide’s obstinate tone of voice, stubbornly insisting that he would stay even when everyone before him had left Kaneki alone.

Hide continues, “It’d take a lot for me to leave your side. Someone would have to shoot me in the gut or something. Good thing there’s no way that’s going to happen, right?”

Kaneki smiles. “Right.” He lets his memories of an empty court be replaced by ones with Hide, with Karasuno. It fills him with giddiness to know that Hide wants to be by his side. And that he’ll remain by his side even if they loose.

But Kaneki will make sure they won’t loose again.

“I’m not going to throw another toss I have to apologize for,” Kaneki says resolutely. “The only ones who remain on the court are the strong - ”

“Then we just have to get stronger,” Hide interrupts. The brightness in Hide’s eyes is returning – that itself encourages him more than any pep talk ever could.

They may have lost today, but that doesn’t mean their journey is over. There’s still the spring tournament. And then there’s the year after that, and the year after that. It pains him more than he cares to admit that he wasn’t been able to take his team to nationals, but more than anything else, he’s glad that he played with them. Kaneki tries to make himself believe that this isn’t the end – it’s the beginning. He feels like it’s something Hide would say, and that makes him smile. If Hide is there to receive his tosses, Kaneki believes they can become strong enough to be the last team standing on the court. And he promises himself he will do anything he can to get them there.

“Hide! Kaneki! Get your asses over here!” shouts Tanaka in the distance.

Kaneki wipes the last remaining tear from his eye, forcing himself to remember that he has more games ahead of him, more chances to win, more time to play with Hide by his side.

“Come on,” Hide says, grabbing Kaneki’s hand and dragging him towards the rest of their team. “Let’s go back to Karasuno!”


End file.
